Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings blank Buffalo Sabres and make a bit of team history

L.A. Daily News | Oct 24

The Kings had just enough Thursday. The defending Stanley Cup champions had 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders on their roster when they faced off against the Buffalo Sabres at Staples Center, and not one healthy or eligible body more.

There simply was no margin for error for the Kings in their first game since defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested by Redondo Beach police on charges of domestic violence and suspended indefinitely with pay by the NHL on Monday morning.

Under normal circumstances, the mere presence of the struggling Sabres would have eased the Kings’ minds and made for an easy night. But an early goal and a record-setting goaltending performance also propelled the Kings to a 2-0 victory, their fifth in a row.

Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar scored power-play goals and the Kings built what sure looked like a commanding 2-0 lead going into the third period. Carter’s goal came only 36 seconds into the game, which served as a pretty good jumping-off point for the Kings (5-1-1).

Jonathan Quick stopped 29 shots and recorded his Kings-record 33rd shutout of his career, one more than the mark he shared since Oct. 16 with Rogie Vachon. Quick was threatened only occasionally by the Sabres, who have scored one goal in their last four games.

“It really is nothing new,” Kopitar said of Quick’s play in goal. “He’s just solid back there. We try to help him out as much as we can. When breakdowns do happen, he’s back there. He’s saved our butts a bunch of times already. I’m sure he’s going to continue to do it.”